


safe with you

by supremedannie



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, Halloween, Halloween Horror Nights, Nerdy Ben Solo, Protective Ben Solo, Romantic Fluff, Universal Studios
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22504123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supremedannie/pseuds/supremedannie
Summary: ben solo takes you on a date to universal’s halloween horror nights. you’re scared of everything, but he promises to keep you safe.
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Reader, Ben Solo/Reader, Ben Solo/You
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	safe with you

You stood outside the front door of Ben's intimidatingly gorgeous home, arms extended out to each side. A cold sweat was beginning on your body under the long knit sweater and leggings you wore, so you swung your arms back and forth in an attempt to cool off. _I really shouldn't have dressed this warmly,_ you thought. _I mean, it's the end of October, but I'm nervous, and sweaty, and oh god Ben is gonna think I look gross and sticky, but that shouldn't matter because he's my friend--_ the tall, expensive looking door in front of you swung open before you could even ring the doorbell. 

"Oh! Hi! Hi Ben. Hello Ben," you said through an oversized smile. You noticed Ben's hair was longer since the last time you saw him- it was dark, wavy, and it nearly covered his adorable ears. He looked at you up and down, laughing quietly.

"Hello, you look, you... cute, nice, uh, sweater", he stammered. "Is it new?" You swore you saw his cheeks turn a rosy shade, but you didn't mention it. You smiled and looked at your feet.

"Old," you replied. "You aren't looking too bad yourself." You noticed his typical outfit consisting of a black t shirt, dark jeans, and a zip up grey hoodie. Ben wasn't one to wear Gucci, but you didn't really mind. He unzipped his jacket to reveal a logo on his otherwise boring shirt. 

"Mine is new," he said, pulling his jacket away from him to show you his t shirt. He beamed at you excitedly, obviously very thrilled about his fashion choice.

"Jason, right?" you guessed, looking at the hockey-masked horror figure on the shirt. Ben nodded and put the jacket back on, zipping halfway over Jason's face.

"Surprised you knew that. Do you love it?" Ben poked you in the arm awkwardly, but you could tell he was just really, really excited for your 'date'. It wasn't exactly a date- just a friend date, kind of. You'd gone to school with him for a couple years, and hung out in large groups, but never just the two of you. It was almost a date. You told yourself in your head that it wasn't a date, because Ben would never have feelings for you, but it was almost a date.

"I don't love it, no," you shook your head, laughing under your breath. "You know I hate scary movies." He shut the door behind him and locked it, and you followed him to his shockingly clean, black sedan.

"Yeah, but, Friday the 13th isn't even scary", he shrugged, opening the car door. You got in the car next to him and buckled up, noticing how garbage-less the interior was. You were kind of impressed, seeing that Ben is a twenty-something guy. "You should really watch it some time. I can show you- I mean, if you wanted- I mean, I have them on DVD-" he fiddled with the keys nervously, trying to start the car. You laughed and shook your head.

"I'm sure it would be scary to me. Everything is scary to me, you know, I don't even know why the hell I'm going to this nightmare fest thing with you anyways," you ranted. Ben started the short drive to Universal Studios-- your almost-date was to Halloween Horror Nights, a horror themed event with several haunted houses to walk through. You had heard it was the scariest place to see around Halloween, but Ben only had two tickets and he invited you, so you caved.

"Aw, come on, it won't be that bad," he assured you as he drove a little over the 45-mph limit. You noticed a small sweat stain forming on the underarms of your sweater. You turned the air conditioning to full blast, balancing your arms on the sides of the car seat. Even the thought of someone, or something, jumping out and scaring you was enough to drain your face of all color. Thinking about your many, many fears, you didn't even realize Ben was literally still rambling about the haunted house. "...so that's why I want to see the Freddy vs. Jason house the most. See, that's why I wore this shirt too. Because Jason will be there. Which is really awesome. Which house do you want to see most?" he asked you, turning into the Universal parking garage. You took a deep breath.

"What? Which houses are there?" you questioned him.

"I, uh, I just listed them all for you..." Ben looked at you a little worryingly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Duh, sorry, you totally listed them," you assured him. "I'm excited for the, um, the vampires." That had to be a house, right? Vampires are definitely terrifying. Ben laughed as he parked and opened the car door.

"You really don't listen, do you," he joked, opening your car door for you. You put your purse over your body and started walking towards the theme park. Ben noticed your stiff appearance as you both neared the dark, looming park entrance, all decked out with spotlights, scary music, and signs showcasing each horror movie icon you'd surely see inside. "Are you sure you're okay?" He showed concern in his eyes.

"Yeah, no, I don't know, what if something jumps out at me and I cry," you worried. "Or, I trip and fall over and some zombie people eat me? Or, I scream and you go deaf and then we can't find each other? Or," Ben stopped you, grabbing your arms and facing you towards him. 

"You will be just fine, I promise," he said, looking directly into your eyes. "Everyone in there is just in a costume, remember? It's not real, it's all for fun. For pretend. You're safe with me." He tightened his grip on your forearm before letting go to show you that he meant what he said. You nodded and sighed, getting your ticket out of your wallet to go inside. 

Ben was always the kindest and most caring person you knew at school. He would text you his homework answers, he let you borrow his favorite books and video games, and he always knew what to say when he saw you upset. You knew he was genuine, but he was so sweet to everyone, you usually felt lost in the crowd. So many other girls probably also read his favorite books, or played his favorite games. They might have even seen Friday the 13th already. But tonight-- it was just you and him, one on one. He chose you to go to this event, which was evidently really important and exciting for him to attend. He chose you, the one who never had the homework answers, who was afraid of everything, who had never been on a real date. This was your night, even if it was the in last place you wanted to go to-- you suddenly felt a sense of security in the fact that he invited you.

You walked slowly through the entrance and under the large Halloween Horror Nights banner, towing closely behind Ben. In his chocolate brown eyes was a sense of childlike wonder as he took in his surroundings. 

"Are you excited?" you smiled up at him, noting the significant height difference between you two. He smiled and nodded back. "Show me the house you wanted to see." You patted the Jason picture on the front of his shirt. You tried not to notice the way his body felt, but you swore you could feel his heart beating right out of his chest. He looked down at you and smiled. 

"Okay, it's this way," he said, almost jogging away from you towards the haunted house. You sped up your pace to keep up with his long stride, looking all around at the park. You passed by several bloody looking people with chainsaws, and an employee advertised Halloween-themed beverages on the sidewalk. Music from The Shining was booming through the speakers, competing with the loud noise from the chainsaws. You started jog-walking a little closer to Ben. "Here," he suddenly stopped walking. "Freddy vs Jason, only an hour wait!" Ben turned and smiled at you behind him before eagerly getting in line. 

"An hour? Doesn't that seem really long?" you questioned. You checked the event's cheap-looking app on your phone. Each wait time was at least half an hour, some reaching two hours or more. 

"The line is always long for these," Ben explained. "I read that on opening night, each wait was like, three hours." He craned his neck over your phone to see the app's wait times screen. "Not too bad. Plus, I have games!" You rolled your eyes as he got out his own phone to show you a Battleship-type game. He handed you the phone to set your ships in place on the 'board'. You took turns passing it back and forth while he explained the plot, and probably the entire Wikipedia article, of the Freddy vs Jason movie-- "so you'll know what's going on inside the house", according to Ben. 

"I don't need to know what's going on," you joked. "My eyes will be closed the whole time." He won the game of Battleship, and started a new one.

\---

You approached the entrance of the house. An employee asked how many were in your party, and Ben held up two fingers like a peace sign. 

"I'll stay in front of you if you want," he offered. "Unless you want to go first." You shook your head rapidly, jumping behind him.

"No, no no no. You first. I'll hide behind you," you said. Ben led you into the house, and you felt a little better seeing that there were parties of people in front of and behind you. The first scene in the house was outdoors, as if you were entering a log cabin. The sign read 'Camp Crystal Lake'. 

"That's the camp where Jason is," Ben whispered as you walked slowly into the cabin. 

"I know," you whispered back. "You told me ten minutes ago." You heard him laugh to himself as he guided your path through the campsite. You saw bloody corpses that looked awfully real laid across the bunk beds. Through a bathroom scene, a girl dressed as a camp counselor jumped out from the shower, holding a fire axe. You screamed, bumping into Ben's arm. 

"See, that was just a regular person," he reminded you. You nodded, walking more beside him than behind him. In the next scene, you could see trees and bushes- and more corpses- all around a fake river. Suddenly, you felt Ben gasp and turn his head. You looked and saw Jason, in his white hockey mask, running towards you from the forest. You screamed, shutting your eyes and instinctively grabbing Ben's arm closest to you. "Oh my gOD," Ben yelled, grabbing your arm back. "JASON IS RIGHT THERE!" Ben tugged your arm and ran through to the next scene. You kept your eyes shut as he guided you, your arm still linked with his, through a normal looking house scene. Soon enough, Freddy Krueger was the one jumping out and scaring you. Ben kept his arm tightly around yours, walk-running through the house. You screamed at every single sound, and he even screamed once or twice. 

Once you were out of the haunted house, you quickly pulled your arm away from Ben. "How was it? I mean, was it everything you dreamed of?" you asked, catching your breath.

Ben looked down at you and smiled. "Yeah, it was awesome," he said a little shakily. "Let's do this house!" He pointed towards the queue line of a zombie apocalypse themed maze. You took a deep breath and agreed-- plus, the line was only thirty minutes. Once you were in line, you turned to face Ben. 

"Sorry for grabbing your arm like that," you said. "I felt safer with something to hold on to, and your arm was just right there."

Ben sighed and smiled at you. "It's okay, why would you say sorry? I don't mind. I like having someone to hold too." You neared the entrance to the house pretty quickly, so you went ahead and locked his arm with yours to prepare. Ben pulled his arm away, and instead, he took your hand in his. Lightning shot through your body when you felt his fingers shift to intertwine with yours. "Do you feel better this way?" he asked. 

You nodded, "Yes. You're so warm." Ben smiled and squeezed your hand tightly, even though he was shaking a little. 

You went through the house together, hand in hand, and you noticed Ben's trembling. He jumped at each noise and scare-actor with you, laughing after every scare. The theme of the house was an abandoned hospital, infested with zombies who chased after you. By the time you reached the exit, you realized how much fun you were having just being close to Ben and not being scared. Of course you screamed and even closed your eyes, but it was all part of the excitement. Ben's warm, enveloping hand around yours was comforting and reassuring, and he squeezed your hand when something was too scary to remind you that you were safe. 

"How did you like that one? Are you feeling less scared?" Ben asked you, still holding onto your hand even though you had left the house. 

"It was fun, I felt better holding your hand," you admitted shyly. Ben looked down at your hands and smiled, then met your gaze with his. He looked into your eyes for a second longer, and you almost thought he would just go for it and kiss you. Much to your disappointment, he sighed and looked back at your hands again. 

"Hey, I'm actually kind of feeling dehydrated," said Ben, looking around. "Do you think we could stop and grab a Coke or something?" You nodded and started pulling him towards a drink stand. Suddenly, you recognized your surroundings and sped up your pace towards the huge white and gold building before you.

"I know what I want to drink!" You dragged Ben to the destination, still holding hands. "Butterbeer!!" You turned to him and smiled as you took the detour into the Harry Potter themed area of the park. Ben looked around in amazement, his jaw slightly dropped. A huge dragon sat atop a building, and the entire place looked identical to a real Diagon Alley. 

"What," Ben questioned, "is butterbeer?" He kept up with your lead into the bar area where you proceeded to let go of his hand and order two frozen butterbeer drinks. 

"It's this," you said excitedly, handing him the plastic cup. He hesitantly took a sip, and you watched his eyes change from doubt, to confusion, to satisfaction. He raised his brows and nodded, showing you his approval of the drink. "Glad you like it too," you said, sipping your drink. The butterscotch flavored sweet, foamy drink felt like heaven on your parched throat. 

"Look," said Ben, pointing ahead at a large building. "The Harry Potter ride only has a ten minutes wait, should we go?" You looked to where he was pointing to see the ride's queue area. You nodded your head, and continued to enjoy your drinks while waiting. 

"Which Hogwarts house are you?" you asked Ben, taking a sip of the drink. 

"Uhhh," he hummed in thought. "I don't think I really know. I took a quiz about it a couple years ago and I don't even remember which one I got." You gave him a disappointed face, pulling your phone out from your pocket. 

"Here, take the quiz right now," you said, shoving the phone into his free hand. "You gotta know your house." Ben laughed, taking the phone and reading the first question. After a few minutes of walking through the line and peeking at Ben's answers, he looked up at you with a surprised face. 

"Slytherin," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. You took the phone back, looking at the green snake crest that appeared on your screen. 

"No way, so am I," you replied enthusiastically. You smiled, putting the phone back in your pocket. Of course he would be Slytherin-- Ben was always resourceful and trying to solve problems, and overly ambitious. He was nice to everyone, sure, but he was also very emotional, passionate, and quick to act on things. 

"Maybe that's why I get along so well with you," Ben smiled. You smiled back, matching his gaze. He stood there smiling at you, holding his empty cup and moving a piece of hair from in front of his eyes. You noticed how pale he was, and how you could count each freckle on his cheek. "Oh, look," he interrupted. "It's our turn." Your dreamy state of mind was put on hold by Ben walking towards the ride vehicle to board. You followed him onto the ride, feeling excited that you were sat so close to him and his radiating warmth.

\--

After you left the Harry Potter world, you and Ben did one more haunted house, which was themed like the movie The Exorcist. It was probably the most terrifying one so far, and once again, you held his hand throughout the entire maze. The time was midnight, and you were both starting to feel your legs and feet get sore. You headed out towards the park exit. You decided to stop at the restroom before you left, and as soon as you went in, Ben jogged over to the gift shop. He looked at the Halloween Horror Nights merchandise and quickly decided to buy the official event T-shirt for you (and a Freddy vs Jason shirt for himself). He paid for the merchandise, then stood outside of the restrooms and waited for you. 

"What's in the bag?" you asked Ben, drying your hands on your leggings. Ben reached in the plastic bag and pulled out your T-shirt, handing it to you proudly.

"For you," he said, as if he was presenting you an Olympic gold medal. You smiled and took the shirt, holding it out so you could see the design. 

"Ben, that's so sweet," you said, folding the shirt back up. "You didn't have to buy me anything!" 

"I know, but I wanted to," Ben shrugged. "I'm proud of you for surviving all the haunted houses, and I'm just really grateful that you actually agreed to come with me, because I thought you might not." 

"Of course I wanted to!" If only he knew how happy you were that he invited you. Ben smiled and held his arms out to welcome you into a hug. You gladly accepted, wrapping your arms around his back. He held you as if he was about to lose you, resting his head on your shoulder. The hug was longer than a casual hug but not long enough to become awkward. As soon as his arms released you, you felt cold and immediately wished he was hugging you again. You followed him to the parking garage where his car waited. Once again, he opened the passenger door for you, and threw his gift bag into the back seat. 

The car ride was sort of silent, a comfortable silence, until you approached his long driveway. You felt a sinking feeling in your chest as you realized you would have to say goodbye to him. Of course, you could call him up anytime, or hang out again soon-- but this night was so unexpected and exciting, you didn't want to put an end to it. You exited the car and looked over at your own car, checking the time on your phone. 1:00 am. 

"Do you still live an hour away from here?" Ben asked you worriedly, his hands in his back pockets. You nodded as you looked through your bag for your keys. "You won't get home until two." He looked pensive, as if he was trying to think of a way to turn the clock back a bit. 

"I know, it sucks," you sighed. "At least I don't have plans tomorrow."

Ben lifted his gaze from the driveway to your eyes. He nodded his head in the direction of his house. "You... I mean, if you wanted, you could, uh... stay... My couch pulls out," he rambled. You laughed under your breath. 

"Ben, are you inviting me to stay the night at your house?" You acted like this was the wildest thing he could have ever proposed, but inside, your heart was about to fly out of your chest. Ben's cheeks were beet red.

"Yeah, kind of, I mean, I don't want you to be out there on those unsafe highways at night. You know, all that construction. You know. It's just so late, I worry..." his words trailed off into the night air. You took slow steps towards him and nodded towards the front door, putting your car keys back in your purse.

"I'll accept, but only because I'm free tomorrow, and because I hate driving," you laughed. "I don't have any pajamas. Or a toothbrush. Or..." Ben opened the massive front door to reveal a modern, organized living room and kitchenette. A black spiral staircase led your eyes up to a balcony with a master bed and bath at the end. "Woah," you breathed. 

"Welcome to the Solo house, I guess," he said, spreading his arms out as if he was giving you a tour. "Come upstairs." He tossed his jacket over the arm of the couch, then headed up the spiral staircase with you closely in tow. Opening the door to his room, he set his bag down on the floor and opened the drawer of his dresser. He held out a long, grey T-shirt of his to you. "Pajamas, if you want," Ben offered. You blushed a little as you took the shirt and headed into the bathroom. Never in your life did you expect that you'd be at Ben Solo's house, sleeping in his shirt, although you had certainly imagined it. You took your sweater and leggings off and pulled the cool, soft shirt over your head. It fit you like a gown, and enveloped you with Ben's woodsy yet clean scent. You pulled the fabric up to your face and took in that wonderful warm smell before unlocking the door again. 

"Oh," said Ben, staring at you in the bathroom doorway. 

"What?" you said, staring back. You stood in the long T-shirt covering your undies, holding your dirty clothes in your hands. 

"Nothing," said Ben, shaking his head. He started staring at the wall instead of you. "You just look really. You look. Um." He cleared his throat awkwardly before staring back at your face again. "You look really adorable in those pajamas," he admitted. You felt a smile creep across your face, and both of you shared a rosy blush that burned your cheeks. 

"Thank you, they're really... soft," you said quietly, stuffing your old clothes into your purse. "Where, uh, am I sleeping...?" You looked outside the door towards the living room, and saw the dark, cold futon couch. You were disappointed that you wouldn't be in his bed. 

"Here, silly," said Ben, gesturing towards his queen sized bed. Your mouth formed an O-shape as you noticed the jersey sheets and plush, grey comforter. Fluffy pillows and blankets of different patterns covered the bed. 

"With you?" you asked, suddenly ashamed of your question as you saw Ben rapidly shake his head no. 

"The couch pulls out, remember? I'll go down stairs." Ben started rummaging through his dresser to find his own pajamas. He went into the bathroom and changed while you observed his room with disappointment. I'm so stupid. Why would he be sleeping with me on the first date? Almost date? Not even sleeping with, just sleeping beside me. Would that really be so bad? Your thoughts plagued you and made you doubt your already lacking self confidence. You shifted your attention to the various movie and game posters that lined the walls of his comfy room. A flat screen TV hung from the wall, with gaming systems and bookshelves underneath. Ben shuffled out from the bathroom in socks, black boxer shorts, and a white T-shirt with a pocket on it. You squinted your eyes to read the design on the pocket. 

"Star Wars," you read from his shirt. "Nice choice."

"Thanks," he smiled, looking towards the Star Wars poster on his wall. "I guess I'll see you in the morning, then." He looked kind of sad as he trudged towards the bed and pulled the covers back. He fluffed up a few pillows and set them in place for you. You smiled and sat down on the bed, pulling the sheet over you and hugging a pillow like a little kid. Ben laughed at your eagerness to get in the bed. "You look so cute," he said, making your cheeks heat up again. Then, on an impulse, you guessed, he leaned down to you and kissed the top of your head. "Goodnight." He left the room and shut the door. Your mouth was wide open, you just stared into the darkness of his room. Did he really just kiss your head goodnight? You laid your head down, smiling a cheesy smile, and hugged up to one of the pillows. It took all your willpower not to scream into the pillow out of excitement and also frustration-- you really wished he was laying next to you. His compliments to you echoed over and over again through your head as you lay there, absorbing the scent of his shirt. 2:15 am. 

Two hours passed, and your eyes were shut-- but no sleep was happening. Your mind raced with thoughts of Ben's words and memories of the night you had spinning in your head. You looked again at the posters on his walls, and you wondered how many other cute or nerdy things he was into that you didn't know about. You pulled a blanket over your head and shut your eyes as tightly as possible. Suddenly, you thought you heard the door swing open. You kept your head under the covers as all the scary possibilities of an intruder ran through your mind. You heard the soft, sleepy voice of Ben call your name, and you peeped your head out from under the comforter.

"Ben? What's wrong?" you asked, concerned. He looked shaken as he stood in front of the bed, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"I can't sleep," he admitted. "Bad dreams. I guess, even though I wasn't afraid of anything at the horror night, it's come back to get me in my head." You frowned, you hated to imagine Ben feel any negative emotions ever. "I've come to get a blanket, sorry for waking you." He turned to grab a folded quilt from the corner of the bed, but you stopped him.

"No, it's okay, I wasn't asleep anyways," you said. 

"Really? It's past four," said Ben with concern. "Are you feeling okay?" He walked closer to you.

"Yeah, I'm just, I don't know. Unfamiliar place, I guess. I've never been a good sleeper," you half-lied to him. _I can't sleep because you called me cute and kissed my head and now I'm a disaster._

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Same here, kinda. My mind just won't stop yelling sometimes." This made you feel sad for him, because you knew Ben wasn't always feeling the optimistic, ambitious persona he appeared to have. You pulled the covers away from the empty place in the bed, and patted the mattress.

"Do you sleep better here?" you asked, gesturing to the bed.

"Yes, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Ben said, looking at the ground.

"I'm not, don't worry. I want you to be comfortable too." You put a pillow at the top of the bed for him and waited. He looked at the pillow, then at you, then at his shirt. Slowly, his hands pulled his T-shirt up and over his head. _Holy shit, he's stripping._ You almost blacked out and saw stars at the sight of his bare body-- Ben was absolutely gorgeous, and probably sculpted by the gods. You felt your cheeks get red as a tomato, and thanked God for it being dark in the room. Ben's pale skin was littered with freckles, and it looked as soft as the sheets you lay on. His slightly visible ab definition made you nearly fall off the bed in awe. 

"Sorry, my shirt was sweaty-- my nightmare--" Ben was visibly flustered as he tossed the shirt onto the floor. 

"No, no, that's just fine, come sit," you patted the bed again like a mad man, silently begging him to hurry up and lay his beautiful self down next to you. He chuckled as he sat down on the bed, swinging his legs under the covers and laying down. He was so close to you, but not touching-- it was nearly torture. You laid your head back down and turned to face him, and he was already facing you. You noticed his hair was slightly curling at the ends, a long strand hanging in front of his eyes. The two of you lay in silence together for a few moments before Ben decided to speak. 

"Remember earlier when we were in line for that ride, and I took the quiz and you told me we were both in the same Hogwarts house? And I said that's why we got along so well?" he questioned you, and you nodded in response; of course you remembered. "I really meant that," he admitted, still looking into your eyes. "I feel like... I can be myself around you. It probably seems like to you and everyone else that I have a million friends, but to tell you the truth, I have maybe two, maximum." His arm found yours under the covers, and he began rubbing circles on your hand with his thumb. "It's cheesy to say this, but I don't feel as comfortable around anyone as I do with you. You have no idea how happy I was when you told me you would hang out with me, or how much courage it took me to even ask you. You're probably the most beautiful person I've ever had the chance to look at." Ben shifted his gaze from the sheets to your eyes, drifting over your lips for a passing moment. His fingers found the space inbetween yours, and it felt like your hand was built to fit in his. He was silent, so you decided to say something.

"Ben," you started, feeling him squeeze your hand. His eyes were washed over by anxiety. "I feel the same way about you. I thought you were out of my league for a long, long time, and whenever I get a text from you-- even if it's just about homework questions-- it makes my entire day. Ben, you're an amazing person. I'm..." your voice trailed off, you didn't want to overwhelm him with a novel full of compliments. He smiled genuinely at you, unlatching his hand from yours. He reached out to your waist and held you, sending an electric shock up your body, activating an entire colony of butterflies into your stomach. He pulled you closer to his body, almost hugging you under the warm comforter, and your arm found his back and shoulder. 

"I'm so glad you stayed," he whispered, getting closer by the centimeter to your face. You could almost feel his minty breath become yours. Before you could say 'me too', you saw his brown eyes shutting and felt his soft, plush lips brush against yours. He kissed you slowly and gently, just once, before backing up to see your reaction. Your eyes were closed, but you smiled and leaned towards him again. You breathed his name into another kiss, feeling his grip around your lower back tighten. He moved his warm lips against yours, moving his other hand to behind your head. You did the same, feeling his silken black hair curl around your fingertips as he kissed you. You swore you felt him smiling against your lips, and it made your whole being warm. He pulled away from you, looking into your eyes. You smiled at him, matching his relieved expression. He kept you cuddled close to him as you felt yourself relaxing into his arms. 

"Are you still scared?" You asked him softly. He just smiled and laughed under his breath. 

"No, I feel safe right here with you," said Ben, placing a gentle kiss on your forehead.

"Safe with me?" you asked, returning the favor by kissing his freckled cheek. "We're safe together."


End file.
